Capital Campaign Update
Shawn Robinson
So what’s going on with the capital campaign? How about the property? These have been the two biggest questions I have been asked lately regarding the future of our church. Giving for this important next step in the life of our church has been phenomenal. So far, $306,901
has been given towards the purchase of property. We are still making sure we decipher your giving intentions correctly (sometimes it’s hard to tell whether a person is writing a check for the capital campaign or for the general operating budget—so make sure to designate clearly!)
In regards to the property, we are placing the finishing touches on the contract and hope to have all the details worked out before the end of September. For the most part, we are making sure that all the “little details” are clear (for example, the seller wants to specify the number and types of buildings we foresee over the next 20 years. In working with a lawyer (who is volunteering his services for our church, saving us $10-12,000) and several other experts, I am finding that clarification and simplicity are key.
Probably the biggest issue we have re-visited has been the cost. Already the seller has agreed to reduce the $4.5 million cost of the property by $250,000 to help with infrastructure expenses. However, we have also recently received a value appraisal for the land that is lower than the seller’s asking price. We have asked the seller to get a second appraisal and present to us a logical and justifiable rationale for the price he is asking for this property. We are asking this because we want you to be confident in your leaders, knowing that we will never present any property to you as a congregation unless we feel the price is reasonable, justifiable, and fair.
We are still confident that these issues will be worked out and that a contract will be ready for congregational approval soon. Once this task is completed, we will gather other remaining and pertinent information such as: hiring a civil engineer to develop a constraint map; select a design committee; hire a contractor/developer; select an architect; and put into place a multi-phase site plan before an informational meeting in November.
We believe there are 4 big questions that need to be addressed at this meeting…
- The details of how are we going to pay for the property?
- Annexation-How will it work?
- Is this a fair price for the property?
- What is the development process?
We hope to answer these questions and any additional questions you might have at a “Town Hall Meeting” on Sunday, November 5th at 12noon. Once we address these major issues, we will call for a congregational meeting to vote on the property on Sunday, November 12th at 12 noon (by the way, these are tentative dates)
As you can see, there is much to discuss and most importantly, there is much to pray about! Would you join me as we continue to seek God’s will for the future of Clayton Community Church? I am grateful for your partnership in this adventure.
Your Pastor—Shawn
September 2006